I'm Sorry
by Sunflowers20
Summary: Katniss and Peeta were a very happy couple so in love with each other. Peeta makes a mistake Katniss cannot forgive him for. Will he be able to win her back or will his mistake tear them apart forever? Read the story to find out what happens. Modern day AU. This is my first ever fanfiction. Please please please give it a read. You won't regret it.
1. Chapter 1

I'm Sorry…

Chapter 1 Goodbye Peeta

"This is goodbye, Peeta", I sniff, wiping at the tears that are pricking at the corner of my eyes, with the back of my hand. I had been determined not to cry but the floodgates have somehow opened up putting my raw emotions on display, making me look vulnerable.

"Katniss, no! Please sweetheart. Let me make this right. I'm so so so sorry. Just…please", he begs, a little sob escaping him, his last word barely a whisper but I catch it. I can't believe it. I have never seen Peeta cry even in the most difficult of situations.

"No, Peeta. I can't. I have been hurt enough. I don't want to go through that again. I gave you my heart and you stomped all over it. How could you do that? You were my everything, Peeta. We were so happy! But you had to ruin that by sleeping with Glimmer. Glimmer of all women! I really thought she was my friend. No, I don't think I can give you another chance. This is over, okay?", I tell him with as much control in my voice as I can muster but it is undermined by my pathetic attempts at wiping away the tears that are freely streaming down my cheeks now. I'm sure I look like crap at the moment, with red rimmed eyes, tear stained cheeks, and ruined mascara.

"Katniss, I love-", he begins but I cut him off before he can go any further.

" No, Peeta. Please don't tell me you love me. I can't handle it. If you did you wouldn't have cheated in the first place and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now!", I snap at him, wiping angrily at the tears that refuse to stop. My vision has become blurry.

"Katniss, please listen to me", he pleads taking a step closer to me, with his hand outstretched, reaching out for me. I immediately back away from him and he looks even more hurt. But I couldn't care any less. He deserves it.

"Katniss, I love you so much, more than you will ever know. I know I can't apologise enough but I will be forever sorry. You don't know how much I regret that. I was drunk and I don't know what came over me and I…Please baby, give me one more chance and I promise, I'll spend my whole life making it up to you. I can't live without you, Kat. I need you in my life, you make me a better person. Please..", he sobbed harder, kneeling down in front of me and gently taking both of my hands in his own. Of course I let him. Despite everything, I still love him with all my heart and soul. But I just can't find it in me to forgive him, not after what he did. He intertwines our fingers together and squeezes my hands, tightly. It comforts me even now. But I have to leave, I can't be with him anymore without being reminded of his betrayal.

As I try to extract my hands from his, he tightens his hold on them and looks up into my eyes. His handsome face is blotchy, his beautiful eyes which I could spend hours gazing into and still not get tired, are red rimmed from crying. Yet, I can see a myriad of emotions swirling in those blue orbs. Desperation, love, and hurt being the most significant.

I know he is sorry. I can see that he is suffering as much as I am. But I can't do this. I can't go through the heartache he put me through, again. Right now, I want nothing more than to fall into his arms and let him hold me. I want to tell him that we'll get through this, that it will be okay. He looks like he is in so much pain. But I can't. Maybe, someday I will forgive him. Maybe, one day I will be able to look at him without being flooded by the feelings of hurt, betrayal, and insecurities. Not today, though.

Using every ounce of strength I have, I get up and turn towards the door to leave. He is on his feet in an instant, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his damp face to my neck.

"Please don't. I love you so much. Please stay. I know it's hard for you to trust me again but please give me a chance. Please Katniss…", Peeta whispers against my neck, a desperate plea in his voice. I have never seen him like this. So…broken. It's enough to almost make me change my mind. Almost.

"I'm sorry, Peeta. I love you too but this is it. It's over. I really hope you find someone who gives you everything I can't. Be happy. Take care of yourself. Goodbye, Peeta."

I gently pull away from him even though it pains me to do so. Leaning up, I give him a small peck on the cheek and commit every feature of his face to memory as if I hadn't already.

With that I start towards the door and walk out, forcing myself not to look back. I'm pretty sure I hear him fall on to his knees on the floor with a thud.

I swiftly drive home, change into a pair of sweats and an old T-shirt and collapse on to the bed before breaking down, crying and letting myself succumb to my sadness.

Author's note: Hey, whoever is reading this. I just want to say thank u so so much for reading it. This is my first ever fanfiction, so please please please review and tell me how it was. Be honest in your reviews and tell what I can do to improve. And please also tell me if you would like for me to continue this story. If even a few people tell me they would like to read more of it, I will continue it and will update as soon as I can. Again, thank you. Hugs


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Hey guys, I'm so so sorry for taking this long to update. The thing is I'm still in high school so I don't get as much time to write as I would like. I'm in eleventh grade and you know how that is, right? I also have my half yearly exams in September so I have been really busy. But I just wanted to say thank you so so much for reviewing and giving my story a chance. You don't know how much each review meant to me. It may take you only a minute to write a review but it means a lot to me that you would take time out of your life to help me improve my writing and to tell me what you thought of it. I would also like to thank everyone who read my story and started following it. Thank you so much! Without further ado, here's the next chapter. It's a bit longer than the last one. Oh, I have replied to some of the reviews at the end of the chapter, so please check that out too.

I do not own The Hunger Games. All characters belong to Suzanne Collins.

Chapter 2

I cringe looking at my all cried out self in the bathroom mirror. I look horrible. My hair is a tangled mess, my eyes are swollen and red from all the crying I have been doing since I got home from Peeta's, my cheeks have tear marks all over them, the makeup I had put on this morning is smudged all over. God, I'm a mess! I grab a brush and furiously start to comb out the knots my hair is in. It's no use. Sighing, I put the brush down and decide to take a shower to wash the day off me. Stripping down quickly, I hop into the shower. The warm water feels incredible against my skin and I can slowly feel the tension melting away and relaxation taking its place. Soon, I start singing like I always do when I shower.

When I'm done, I wrap a towel around my body and another around my dripping hair and walk out. It's only 8 in the evening. I put on my comfiest pair of pyjamas and a tank top. After towel drying my hair, I grab my phone from my desk to check for any messages or calls. I had put it on silent after I got home as I was in no state to talk to anyone, not even Jo or Madge. All I had done since I got home was cry and just wallow in self-pity. I'm so pathetic, I know. It did make me feel better, though.

As expected, there are about a dozen missed calls from Peeta and several messages telling me how much he loves me and how sorry he is and how much he wants us to talk so that he can explain himself and to work things out. Yeah, like that's gonna happen. He sounds very sincere, though and I can sense from his voice that he is hurting as much as I am. Oh Peeta, I want nothing more than to go back into your arms but this time you really screwed up and this is not something that I can just get over.

There are also several missed calls from Jo, Madge, and Gale. Oh god, it's been two hours, they must be worried. But I don't really want to talk to anyone right now. I'll call them back before I go to bed.

What I'm gonna do right now is listen to my favorite artist, Taylor Swift. She is my all-time favorite but right now, I feel like I can really relate to her songs. She gets me so well. Oh, and there's a big tub of ice cream in the freezer. I grab a spoon and the ice cream and make my way to the bedroom where I pull out my laptop and play one of my favorite albums, Red. Soon I lose myself to the music and start singing out loud the lyrics of I knew you were trouble.

'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in

So shame on me now

Flew me to places I'd never been

'Til you put me down, oh

I knew you were trouble when you walked in

So shame on me now

Flew me to places I'd never been

Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground

Oh, oh, oh trouble trouble trouble

Oh, oh, oh trouble trouble trouble

My phone starts ringing. I groan seeing it's Johanna. She is so going to torture all the details out of me. I know I'm gonna have to tell her sooner or later. Sooner, really otherwise she won't let me live. And she is my best friend, after all. But I'm not ready to talk about it just yet. Sighing, I pick up the phone. Not answering will get me nowhere since it's Johanna we are talking about here, I know that from experience. Jo doesn't relent.

"Hey, Jo"

"Where the hell have you been brainless?!", she screeches into my ear. Oh man, she sounds furious.

"I'm at my apartment. Sorry, I didn't answer your calls", I tell her in a soft, small voice.

"Kat, have you been crying? Oh my god! What happened? Tell me now, what is it?", she sounds mad and worried at the same time.

"It's Peeta. We broke up. Something happened." And I spend the next few minutes patiently explaining to her what is it that happened. It hurts me to rehash it all but I hold back the tears that are threatening to spill. After I have told her everything, there's silence on her end.

"Jo?"

"WHAT A JERK! I WILL EFFING MURDER HIM! HOW DARE HE?!"

I put the phone away from my ear for a second. She is seething with rage.

"Calm down, Jo"

"I will not calm down! How could he do this to you?"

"I don't know. Ever since I got home, he has been calling me and has left several messages saying how sorry he is and asking me to give him a chance to explain and stuff. But I'm not ready to talk to him, Jo. I don't know if I'll ever be."

"You don't have to talk to him, Kat. If you talk, he is gonna confuse you about your feelings and you will get back together which you shouldn't. He cheated on you, Kat. Keep that in mind. He slept with that bitch, Glitter or Glimmer or whatever her name is. You can't just let it slide."

"I know, Jo. I won't go back to him. Whenever I think about him, all I feel is hurt and betrayal. I have always been insecure about our relationship considering that he is such a great, good looking guy and all girls want him and I'm just me. When I found out about what he did, it brought back all those feelings of insecurities, I had tried so hard to avoid feeling during the course of our relationship. But he sounded very sincere and remorseful. I don't know what to do. On one hand, I really want to hear what he has to say but on the other, I don't think I can even look at him without being reminded of his infidelity."

It's true, I had always felt insecure. Like I'm not good enough for him but he had never given me a reason to doubt his love for me. He constantly tried to show me how much I meant to him. But the insecurity had always been there.

"Don't talk about yourself like that, Kat. You are beautiful, strong, independent, and kind. You are a pretty special person. You were always turning heads in college, you know. You had guys tripping over themselves. He, on the other hand, is a jerk. And do you really think that there is anything he can say or do to justify his actions or to lessen the hurt you are feeling? No, you won't talk to him. In fact, I'm coming over right now. Have you eaten yet?"

"No"

"Good, I'll bring pizza. A sleepover is overdue, anyway. See you in thirty"

She hangs up. I feel a little better after talking to her. Jo is very protective of me. The fact that she is so hell bent on not letting me even talk to Peeta doesn't surprise me at all. When we were in our sophomore year of college, Jo was dating this really sweet, really gorgeous guy named Marvel. Yeah, ridiculous name, I know. So Jo was head over heels in love with him. And that's why when she found out that he had been cheating on her, she was truly devastated. It's been nearly five years and she hasn't had a real relationship since then. She has always had one night stands and the friends with benefits kinda things. I never really liked Marvel. I always thought there was something off about him. I know for a fact that Peeta isn't like that at all. He is like the nicest, sweetest person in the whole world. I always thought he is too good to be true. Before he cheated on me, I was very happy with him. He always made me feel cherished and special and most importantly, loved. He would always look at me like I'm the only girl in the world that he sees. It's very hard to believe he did that.

Before I know it, the tears are streaming down my face, again. When I hear the doorbell, I wipe them away and open up the door. In walks Johanna with an overnight bag and boxes of pizzas and cans of diet coke. When she looks at me, her eyes soften and I know that she knows I have been crying again.

Putting down her bag and our food, she engulfs me in a special Johanna Mason hug. I hold on to her tightly. She soothingly rubs my back and strokes my hair, whispering in a soft voice, "You'll be okay, Katniss."

I give her a small, genuine smile when I pull away.

"Thank you, Jo. I'm really glad you are here", I tell her and I mean every word.

"Hey, what are best friends for?", she says making me chuckle.

"Now come on, let's eat. I'm starving."

Smiling, I lead her to the sofa in the living room. We lay out the food on the coffee table and start eating. While we are eating, she tells me that Madge and Gale have been calling her to ask about me. "You had us all worried, brainless", she says in a reprimanding tone. "I know, I'm sorry", I say, looking sheepish.

"So, about Peeta…", I begin but she cuts me off.

"You are not gonna talk to him okay? He is a jerk, you are too good for him. And you don't need him to confuse you about your feelings any further."

I just nod because she is right, I don't. There is nothing he can do or say to make it even a little better. I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust him again.

"Wanna watch a movie?", I ask her.

"Sure, you pick"

"How about Bride Wars?"

"Okay"

Halfway into the movie, Jo says, "Kat?"

"Yeah?"

"I kind of texted Madge to let her know that you are alive and I may have told her what's got you so upset but don't worry I didn't give her any details. You can tell that to her yourself. She and Gale are coming over tomorrow to check on you. It's been a long time since we all hung out together, anyway,"

"Oh"

I'm really not looking forward to rehashing all the details again but Gale and Madge are my best friends too, I have to tell them. Gale will want to kick Peeta's ass after he finds out what happened but hopefully, I'll convince him not to.

"Come on don't look so sad. It will be alright, you know."

"I hope so, Jo"

With that we fall into a comfortable silence and watch the rest of the movie. Later when we are both under the covers and sleep is threatening to pull us under, I whisper, "Jo?"

"Yeah?", she says in a groggy voice.

"I love you"

"I love you too, brainless. Now, go to sleep. You have had a long day and I'm tired too. Goodnight."

Her breathing soon evens out after that and I know she is asleep. Very soon, sleep finds me too and I dream of blonde hair and the prettiest pair of baby blue eyes.

Author's note: So there you have it, chapter 2. Please, please review and tell me what you thought of it and where would you like this story to go. I already have ideas but I would really like to know what you think. And please tell me if there was something you didn't like. Thank you so so much for reading. So I thought I would reply to some reviews:

Teamwingless: Thank you so much, you totally made my day.

Catniphawthorne: I'm sorry but I'm an everlark shipper so this is not going to be a galeniss fic but please give it a read, maybe you would like it. In my fic, Gale and Madge are together. So, yeah :)

Halwickgrl16: I don't like those kinda fics either. So, don't worry that's not gonna happen. Peeta will win Katniss back but not right away. First, she needs to start trusting him again. And I promise, I will try to give you more frequent updates. Hugs:)

The guest who said that it's very ooc for Peeta to cheat and that he would never do that: I know, Peeta is the nicest guy ever but hey, he was drunk and anybody can make a mistake but don't worry, things will become clear after Peeta and Katniss have the talk. You will soon find out more :)

And to all others who reviewed, thank u so much once again. I love you all. Hugs :)


	3. Author's note

**Author's note**

Hey everyone, I just wanted to say thank you for the response you have given to my story. Thank you so much for reviewing and following my story. I love reading all the reviews and I love it each time a new person follows it. I'm sorry to say that it will be another 2 weeks before I post chapter 3. I have half yearly exams till 23rd of September so I'm going to be really busy for the next 11 days. But if I get time in between I will work on the next chapter. So sorry guys but I promise after my exams get over, I will update much more frequently. Again thank you so much and another thing I wanted to say was that please please please leave reviews after you read it. Tell me what you liked and if there was something you didn't like and suggestions for where you want the story to go. Your reviews motivate me to write. If I get many reviews I get inspired to write, so please leave reviews *puppy face* as it would mean a lot to me, so pleeeaase? :) Again thank you for the support and I will be back in two weeks with the new chapter and it would be longer and filled with more drama! Bye, see you soon! :)

Sunflowers20


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** Hey everyone, as promised, here's chapter 3. I'm sorry for making you all wait this long for this chapter. I'm done with the exams and now I have more time to write, so there will be more frequent updates from now. Thank you so much for sticking with the story. This chapter is the longest till now and I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it too. Hope it was worth the wait. Now, on with the chapter.

I do not own The Hunger Games.

 **Chapter 3** You Need To Talk To Him

 _It's a beautiful spring day. I smile as I watch a cute little girl with dark hair tied into two fishtail braids and sparkling blue eyes, engrossed in making flower crowns using dandelions and other wild yet pretty flowers of the meadow. Her father who is sitting beside her, smiles indulgently at her when she shows him her work. They have the same beautiful blue eyes and sweet smiles. My heart swells as I watch them together. I don't think I have ever felt as happy or as content as I'm now._

 _Next, I look down at the chubby little toddler in my arms. He is adorable with a tuft of unruly blonde hair and big grey eyes. When I look up, I see the girl making her way over to me with her father right behind her. She slips the crown on to my head and says, "For you". I can't help but smile at her and ruffle her hair. She giggles at that and runs back to make another crown. I beam as I watch her run around. When I look up, I see Peeta grinning down at me, looking at me adoringly like he always does. I find myself blushing and shyly smiling at him making him chuckle. He leans down and captures my lips in a sweet and gentle kiss, with his large, warm hands framing my face. After we pull away, he rests his forehead against mine and closes his eyes, savouring the moment. With a kiss to my forehead, he moves away and sits beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist securely and pulling me against him. I rest my head against his shoulder and he presses a kiss to my temple. I allow myself to close my eyes and bask in the happiness and love surrounding me._

I open my eyes when I feel someone shaking me. It's Johanna. I groan. Why did she have to wake me up when I was having the best dream ever?! Oh wait, it was just that. A dream. It will never be a reality. Peeta and I broke up yesterday. He cheated on me. As the events of the previous day come flooding back to me, I become more alert and sit up. I immediately cover my eyes with my arms because of the bright rays of sunlight streaming through the windows. Jo must have opened up the curtains.

"Morning, Brainless. It's good to see that you have finally decided to join the land of the living. I was beginning to think that you went into a coma or something."

I roll my eyes at Johanna as I throw off the covers and head to the bathroom.

"What time is it?", I ask her groggily as I rub my drooping eyes.

"A little after eleven. You better hurry up, Madge and Gale will be here soon."

So I do just that. Thankfully, it's Saturday and I don't have to go to work today. I quickly brush my teeth and get into the shower. After drying myself, I start getting dressed. I choose a pair of skinny jeans and a cute red top that Madge had made me buy. After tying my hair into a loose French braid and putting on a little bit of makeup, I head out of the room. Jo is already dressed and is sitting at the dining table having a cup of coffee and scrolling through her phone as I enter. She looks up when she hears me enter and gives me a bright smile but her eyes give away her concern for me. I smile back at her as brightly and let her know that I'm okay.

"Hey, Madge called. They are going to be here in an hour", she informs me.

"Oh, okay. I'm going to make us some breakfast. What would you like to eat?", I ask her, heading into the kitchen.

"Umm….chocolate chip pancakes?"

"You got it."

Jo moans as she takes a bite. "Mmm…these are amazing, Kat. You are seriously the best cook ever."

I laugh as I thank her. Yes, the pancakes are good. There's no doubt about that. How could they not be? Peeta taught me how to make them. It's his dad's recipe. While I can admit that I'm good at cooking, Peeta is much better than me. His family owns a bakery and he used to help out his dad all the time before he went off to college. That's how he learned to bake and cook, he told me. He even used to cook for me all the time. My favourite are the cheese buns. Ever since he found out I liked them, he started making them quite frequently for me. I sigh wistfully as I think about it.

Jo notices my dazed, wistful state and gives me a questioning look with her brows furrowed. I smile at her and shake my head. Thankfully, she refrains from questioning me about it. I don't want her to know that I'm still thinking about him. I bet he has made it to the top of her 'Hate List'.

After we finish eating, I start doing the dishes to distract myself from what's heavily weighing on my mind. I really need to stop thinking about him so much.

When the dishes are done, I go to the living room and sit down on the couch with Jo to wait for our friends. A few minutes later, we hear the doorbell and I immediately get up to open the door.

Madge squeals as soon as she sees me and pulls me into a bone-crushing hug which I gladly return.

"Katniss! It's been so long! I misses you sooo much!"

"Oh my God, yes it has! I missed too, Madge! So much."

We pull away after a minute and smile at each other. Next, I greet Gale who too sweeps me up into a choking hug. Not that I mind. I've missed him too.

"Catnip, I missed you!"

"Me too, Gale!"

After he puts me down, I look at them. Both of them are wearing bright smiles but their worry and concern for me is evident from their eyes.

I lead them into the living room where Jo is still sitting on the couch. As soon as she sees them, she too gets up and gives them each a hug.

We spend the next half an hour catching up on what's going on in our lives while I mostly stay silent. Finally, Gale broaches the topic that we have all been avoiding.

"So, Catnip. It seems that we have a lot to talk about."

Madge pipes in too, "Oh yes, Katniss. How are you now? I know you broke up with Peeta yesterday."

"I'm okay, I think, aside from having my heart being broken, of course", I tell her. She just nods and gives me a sympathetic smile.

"What exactly happened, Kat? You were so happy with him. It was pretty obvious that you two were totally in love with each other. I mean you guys were basically everyone's 'Relationship Goals'. What went wrong?", Madge asks while Gale nods at what she is saying.

I take a deep breath before launching into the details. They both listen with rapt attention. I watch as their expressions go from concerned to confused to angry to some other emotion. After I have finished telling them, Madge looks flabbergasted. She had never expected this from Peeta. He is actually the last person someone would expect that from. Gale looks absolutely angry, like he could kill Peeta.

Madge leans in and hugs me again, rubbing my back soothingly. I return the hug and smile at her gratefully as we pull away. Gale wraps an arm around me and squeezes me comfortingly. Jo smiles at us. I smile back. While I _am_ still very upset and hurt because of what happened, I'm glad that I have my three best friends here with me who care so much. I'm really grateful to God for them.

What a jackass! I'm so going to kick his ass", Gale snarls. I roll my eyes. I knew he would say that and I also know that he is capable of doing that and actually intends to do that.

"No, Gale. I don't want you to do that. Oh, and wait a minute, you don't think I'm capable of doing that myself if I want to?", I ask him, crossing my arms.

"Oh no, Catnip. I have no doubt that you can do it yourself. But the thing is you won't do it even if you want to because you are simply too nice", he says trying to placate me.

"Do you still love him, Katniss?", Madge asks me with her eyebrows raised. Three pairs of eyes shoot up to my face and look at me curiously, trying to gauge my answer. I look down at the knotted fingers in my lap and nod.

"WHAT!", Gale and Jo yell at the same time, looking at me incredulously.

"It's true", I tell them softly. "I still do love him."

"Kat, he is an asshole!", Jo reminds me.

"I know, Jo. But when you truly love someone you can't just turn it off overnight", I explain.

That silences her. Gale runs his fingers through his hair in exasperation while Madge smiles gently at me and gives me look full of understanding.

"So what are you going to do now?", Madge asks me.

"Block his number on her cell phone and never see him again", Jo supplies for me. Madge glares at her which she totally ignores and goes on, "I mean come on, you don't need him. There are plenty of other guys out there vying for your attention." She waggles her eyebrows at me and smiles cheekily.

"Oh really? Like who?", I ask her because I honestly have no idea what she is talking about.

"Umm…Finnick Odair?"

"Are you kidding me right now? He basically flirts with every girl he sees. I'm not the only one. And besides, I think he has a girlfriend now. Someone named Annie", I tell her incredulously. Seriously? Finnick?

"How about Darius then?", she continues.

Oh God, Darius is just a very sweet and nice person. He works at my favourite Café where I used to go frequently when I was in university to complete my assignments as it has a very quiet and peaceful environment and they serve the best hot chocolate. Darius always smiles at me whenever he sees me and asks how I'm doing.

"Oh my God, Jo! He doesn't like me like that and neither do I for that matter. He is just a very friendly person!"

"If you say so", she giggles. I shoot her a glare. Madge and Gale laugh at us. I glare at them too which only makes them laugh harder.

"Okay, what about Rory, Gale's little brother?", she asks me smilingly sending Gale into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. God, what am I going to do with her?

"Rory has had a crush on you for years now, Catnip", Gale tells me trying to stop laughing but failing miserably. I roll my eyes, again.

"I know, Gale. But seriously, he is like 5 years younger than me. He is even younger than Prim!", I remind him.

"That is so double standard of you. Peeta is like 3 years older than you. He didn't seem to mind the age difference so much", Johanna says.

"Yeah, but it's different between him and me, okay?"

"Uh huh"

"Wow really? I didn't know he is 3 years older than you. How did you two meet? I mean I know you went to the same university but how?", Gale asks me curiously.

Jo smiles at the memory. She was there with me when I first met him. It was in our freshman year of college.

 **Flashback**

 _Jo always gets her way. She practically begged me to go to this frat house party with her and like always, I agreed, begrudgingly. So here I am, sitting in a chair in front of the mirror with my arms crossed against my chest while she does my hair and makeup._

" _But Jo, I don't want to go", I grumbled for the hundredth time. "Please let me stay in."_

" _Nooo..Katniss, please come with me. We will leave early. Promise."_

 _I sighed and let her doll me up. Sometime later, she declared, "You look hot!"_

 _I looked at myself in the mirror and I did look kind of….nice. She had applied minimal makeup like I had asked her to. Just some eyeliner, blush, and a light shade of lipstick. My long and dark hair is in a high ponytail that reaches my chest. I'm wearing black skinny jeans that aren't too tight and are really comfortable and a pretty orange halter neck top that doesn't show too much skin so as to make me feel uncomfortable. And I'm also wearing cute black kitten heels. Of course, Jo has picked out the outfit for me._

 _Johanna Mason is my best friend and roommate. I met her this year only and we instantly became friends. We are very different from each other. She is not shy at all, is very popular and outgoing, and always speaks her mind. I, on the other hand, am extremely shy and awkward, considered a nerd because of my love for reading, and don't easily make friends. Despite our differences, we are the best of friends._

 _I always find it very hard to say no to her. She is just so persuasive. We are only going to this party because the guy she is interested in these days, Marvel, is going to be there. Johanna is wearing a short and tight dress that isn't too fancy nor too casual. It shows off her curves. Her brown hair cascades down her shoulders in loose waves and she is wearing high heels. She looks fabulous._

 _At the party, I can only find very few people I actually know. Jo is shamelessly flirting with Marvel, who seems to be really enjoying it. I'm by myself, wandering around. I accidently bump into someone and two large warm hands grab hold of my arms to steady my. The simple touch leaves my arms tingly. I look up and see the most beautiful pair of blue eyes I have ever seen and they are looking back at me in concern. My breath gets caught in my throat as I take him in. He has messy blonde hair, blue eyes, a defined jaw with a little bit of stubble on the chin, and strong toned arms. He is gorgeous. He is wearing jeans and tight black t shirt that shows off his muscles. And did I mention that he also smells really nice? I'm pretty sure I'm gaping at him._

" _I'm so sorry, are you okay?", he asks me, his voice full of concern._

 _His voice is soo sexy!_

" _I-I um I'm okay and you don't have to apologize. It was my fault, I bumped into you. I'm sorry about that", I tell him stuttering a little but I'm amazed that I was even able to form a coherent response for him._

" _It's fine, really", he says giving me a shy smile which I return._

 _Oh my God, he is so cute!_

" _I'm Peeta, by the way. And you?", he asks me, holding out his hand for me to shake. I have to forcefully restrain myself from quickly snatching it. Instead, I slowly take his hand saying, "It's so nice to meet you, Peeta. I'm Katniss."_

" _Like the plant?", he asks smilingly. I'm amazed that he knows about it._

" _Yeah", I say, smiling shyly._

" _A beautiful name", he says, "for a beautiful girl."_

 _I blush. Oh my freaking God! He just called me beautiful!_

 _We start talking and I find myself liking him more and more. Conversations flow easily between us. He asks me about the courses I'm taking and what I plan to do in the future. He genuinely seems interested in hearing about my plans. He is very attentive too. Lots of girls try to gain his attention but he politely ignores them all and continues to talk to me. A little thrill goes through me._

 _I find out a lot about him too. He is currently in his final year, studying architecture. He loves baking and painting. He smiles when I tell him how much I love reading. He likes to read too. In fact, he likes many of the same books as I do. At one point, he compliments me on my top and tells me that orange is his favourite colour, though not too bright. A soft muted shade of orange, like the sunset. I smile at that. I spend the whole evening talking to him and am a little sad when Jo and I have to leave. But to my delight, he asks for my number which I gladly give him. He gives me his too._

" _I really enjoyed talking to you, Katniss. Can I see you again?", he asks me shyly._

" _Of course, Peeta. I loved talking to you too. I initially didn't want to come to this party but I'm actually kind of glad I did", I admit, making him smile._

" _Me too", he says._

" _So…I'll call you or you can call me too. Let's meet up soon, okay?", he says and leans in to kiss me on the cheek. His lips are warm against my cheek and the kiss leaves a nice sensation. I can totally feel my cheeks going red, for the third time this evening. I smile at him shyly and bid him goodbye and assure him that I would love to meet up with him soon, before heading back with Jo._

 _Jo, who saw the exchange between Peeta and me, smirks as we walk back together. I'm too happy to give her my signature scowl at the moment. There's a bounce in my step and I can't stop smiling. I'm aware that I'm acting very uncharacteristically but I just don't care. I have a very good feeling about what's to come._

 **End of flashback**

"Holy shit, you two had been together for almost 6 years!", exclaims Gale, looking really surprised after I finish telling him and Madge about how I met Peeta.

"Yeah, there was this instant connection between us and I actually felt the sparks flying around", I tell him dreamily.

"Bet you never thought that he would turn out to be like that", Gale mutters.

I just nod at him. Madge gives me a sad smile.

Then suddenly, she exclaims, "Wait a minute, didn't you say that he has been calling you nonstop since yesterday, asking you to give him a chance to talk to you once and to let him explain?"

"Yeah, but what can he really say that will justify his actions?", I ask her rhetorically.

"Kat, I think you should give him that. A chance to properly talk to you. Maybe, just maybe you two can sort it out and get through this. I have watched you two for years. You two really love each other and it's really cute to see the way he dotes on you. You need to talk to him, Katniss."

Hmm, she does have a point.

"Come on, Madge. Katniss deserves better!", Gale tells her.

"Yeah, he cheated on her, for God's sake!", says Jo.

"Gale, Jo, I'm not asking her to take him back just like that. I just think she should talk to him. She still loves him, it's obvious. And if the continuous phone calls from Peeta are any indication, then he still loves her a lot too", Madge explains and I ponder over it.

"Okay, when did you become 'Team Peeta'?", Jo asks her.

"I'm not 'Team Peeta'. I'm 'Team Katniss', I just want her to be happy and Peeta Mellark makes her happy", she replies.

Nobody argues with her against that. She is right. I should talk to him. Even if we don't sort it out, it would at the very least give me some sort of closure or whatever but a talk is due.

With shaky hands, I pick up my iphone and dial his number while everyone stares at me. He picks up after two rings.

"Katniss", he practically moans out my name, relief evident in his voice.

"Peeta", I say softly. It feels nice to hear his voice again even though it's only been a day.

"Katniss, I'm so so sorry. Please let me talk to you in person. Please Katniss, I love you sooo much. Please?", he says in a desperate attempt to make me agree to it.

He sounds so scared and unsure and desperate and like he has been crying that my heart melts.

"That's what I called to talk to you about, Peeta. I think- I think we should talk", I say nervously.

"Thank you so much, Katniss. Even though I don't deserve it. Can I come over now?", he asks, at the same time exhaling in relief.

"Yes, come over."

"Okay, I'll see you in 30 minutes."

"Okay."

I hang up and look up into the concerned faces of my friends. Madge smiles at me reassuringly while Gale and Jo look unsure.

It's done now. All there's left to do is wait.

 **Author's note:** Thank you for reading. So, what did you think of it? Please please please leave a review and let me know what you thought and what you would like to see. It would seriously mean a lot to me if you reviewed. So please leave a review, it would inspire me to write. Please? I won't take as long to post the next chapter as I did with this one. It will be posted soon. If you want to talk to me, you can PM me any time or you can message me on tumblr. My username is cookiegirl2000. Again, thank you so much for reading. Please review and I'll see you very soon with chapter 4. Bye. Until next time :)


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's note-** **Hey everyone, I'm so so sorry for updating this late. I have been really busy with school and studies and just didn't get time to work on the story. I promise I will try to not take this long to update again. On with the story…**

 **I do not own The Hunger Games trilogy.**

 **Chapter 4 The Talk**

Panic sets in as I hear the doorbell ring. With a pale face and a rapidly thumping heart, I get up to open the door. Oh God, I hope Peeta can't hear my quickened heartbeat because I sure can, I can hear it pounding in my ears. Madge nods at me encouragingly while Gale and Johanna look as if they are still not sure if it's a good idea. But this is important, we have to talk it out.

My eyes go wide as I open the door and take in Peeta. He looks…..well, awful. He hasn't shaven, his hair look as if he has run his fingers through them a million times which he does when he is frustrated, and his eyes, oh god, his beautiful eyes are swollen and it looks like he has been crying recently. He offers me a fake, broken smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He looks positively miserable and despite his recent actions, my heart breaks for him. I have had my three best friends with me, comforting me and cheering me up while he has had to deal with all of this alone. _Oh, Peeta._

As soon as I realise that I have been gaping at him for a few minutes now, I immediately close my mouth and gesture for him to come inside.

"Hi Katniss", he says in a really sad voice and looks at me with longing in his eyes.

"Hi Peeta", I answer, my voice cracking a little.

As soon as we walk in, he gets bombarded by Gale and Johanna's murderous glare and Madge's firm, pointed look.

"I didn't know you had company", he tells me, cringing at the welcome he has just received. Before I can respond, though, Madge beats me to it.

"We were just leaving, don't worry about us. Katniss, I'll call you later today", she says in a sharp voice, grabbing Gale and Jo, who are still glaring at Peeta, full on. Gale's jaw is clenched and his fists are shaking at his sides from the effort it is taking to restrain from hurling himself at Peeta and beating the crap out of him. Before following Madge and Gale out, Jo forcefully yanks Peeta's arm, looks him dead in the eyes so he knows she is not joking, and goes, "I swear to God, Mellark, if she cries again because of you, I will personally hunt you down and skin you!"

Peeta looks terrified and ashamed, he merely nods looking down at his feet. Then she turns to me.

"And Katniss Everdeen, if you get back together with this jerk, I will crucify you. You understand?!"

I deem it best to do what Peeta did and just nod.

"Okay, then. I'll call you. Bye"

With that she walks out and slams the door behind her. I heave a frustrated sigh and look up at the man standing in front of me. He is still looking down, too ashamed to meet my eyes.

"Peeta", I say quietly. He looks up at the sound of his name.

"Do you want to sit down?"

"Yeah"

He takes a seat on the sofa and I plop down beside him but not too close.

"So, uh, I guess we um have some um things to talk about", I begin nervously. He takes a deep breath and reaches out to take my hand in his, gently.

"Is this okay?", he asks softly.

I nod because though it's only been a day, I have missed his touch. His hands are warm and feel nice as he rubs soothing circles on the back of my palm. His hands clasping mine feel so…right. _God, I sound so cheesy_. Johanna wouldn't like it if she saw me sitting in such close proximity of him. I roll my eyes as I remember her threat though I'm sure it wasn't empty. She would make good on it if I actually _do_ get back together with Peeta somehow.

"So, you wanted a chance to explain", I start, my voice firm and unwavering for once.

I just can't put it off any longer, this needs to be done now for the sake of the mental peace of both of us. Nothing would come out of just delaying the inevitable, the more we delay it, the worse will the pain get when it finally comes out. He sighs and looks up to meet my eyes. His beautiful blue ones are full of sorrow and regret and…love?

"Yeah, I did. I do. But please just hear me out fully, okay? I need to get this out and you deserve to know. I owe you this."

I nod and motion for him to go on. He takes another deep breath, raises my hand to his mouth and lightly presses his lips to the back of my palm and closes his eyes. The gesture makes me melt but I mentally kick myself for letting myself get distracted. I can't afford to get distracted or dazzled by him again, despite the fact that he is still the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on, even in this broken, awful state.

"So, you remember how my colleagues dragged me out straight from work for drinks, the other night?", he begins.

I nod, scowling briefly. He was supposed to come over that night! He notices my reaction but thankfully, doesn't comment on it.

"Well, one of them had just got engaged so there was a lot of drinking. Believe me, Katniss, I tried to hold back and not drink much but they all kinda forced me into it and before I knew it, I was drunk out of my mind."

"And the next thing I knew, Glimmer and I were both…naked but as soon as I realised what was going on, I left because it felt so so wrong. It lasted maybe a few seconds, Katniss, you have to believe me on that. I would never ever cheat on you, Katniss and I would never even lie to you about it. See, I didn't even try to hide it from you, I told you the truth immediately even though it killed me to look at the hurt on your face. You can't imagine how much I hate myself for betraying your trust, hurting you, making you cry."

"I realise that my reasons were pathetic. But I seriously don't know how it happened. Glimmer had been trying to come at me the whole evening but I ignored her advances and even told her that I had a girlfriend whom I loved, no love more than anything. I guess she was waiting for me to get drunk enough to be unaware of my surroundings."

"I'm so sorry, Katniss. Please forgive me, take me back. I'm miserable without you, I can't even function without you. I know what I did was unforgivable and I don't expect you to take me back right away but please think about it, will you?"

I could see the self-hatred, remorse, and guilt as he spoke. But still, how could he be so careless and irresponsible? Would never cheat on my, huh? Except when he is drunk! Does that mean that if by some chance I do take him back, he would cheat on me again and put the blame on alcohol and the bitch trying to seduce him. Wow, I must be really mad, I never really curse or call anyone a bitch for that matter. My parents raised me with good manners but Johanna rubbed off on me I guess. I'm seriously angry right now that I can't think straight. I'm not going to cry, I have shed more than enough tears yesterday, I would rather be angry. I snatch my hand away from his grasp and he looks even more hurt, if that's even possible. But I just don't care at the moment. I'm beyond the point of caring. Where has it got me to, anyway? I have been reduced to a mess of a person.

"You realise how screwed up that is, Peeta? People get drunk all the time but they don't necessarily cheat on their girlfriends whom they promised to love and be faithful to forever. So, let me get this straight. Whenever you go out to drink and end up sleeping with some random woman, I should just let it go because hey, what could you have done? You were _drunk!"_

I'm seething now and I try hard to control my laboured breathing. I can't even control what I'm spewing out of my mouth at the moment, my tongue is on a roll.

"I can't believe you, Peeta. I can't believe I trusted you. I never thought that _you_ would do that to me. You are like the last person anyone would expect that from. You betrayed my trust, you hurt me so much and yet you have the nerve to ask me to take you back!"

Angry tears have started forming in my eyes but I refuse to let them fall. I won't give him the satisfaction. At least he has the decency to look ashamed all the while I have been yelling at him. When he realises that there's nothing more I'm going to say, he looks up into my eyes again. His face looks tortured and tears are swimming in his eyes. He wipes them away quickly, though, not letting them fall.

"I know Katniss, believe me, I know. I have made the biggest mistake of my life and I'll never forgive myself for it. I also know that I don't deserve you, I have never deserved you. You are an angel, I can't believe I did that to you and I know I should just leave and let you live in peace but can you blame me, though? I love you so much, I can't breathe when I'm away from you. Being away from you has been torture. Please forgive me, Katniss. You don't have to tell me right now, I can wait. But I'm begging you, please just think over what I have just told you."

Suddenly, all the fight leaves my body and I just sag against the sofa, letting his words and their meaning sink in. Should I forgive him and give him another chance? I don't trust him anymore. Sure, I still love him with all my heart but trust? I don't think so. And how can I just get over the fact that he cheated on me even though he didn't mean to and if what he says is true then it didn't even last that long, but how can I let it go that easily? Ugh, I can't think right now. It makes it harder that he is here, sitting right next to me, watching me with sad eyes. I need to get away from him.

"I think you should leave, Peeta", I tell him in a soft voice. He looks resigned and nods. Before walking out the door, though, he turns to me.

"Please remember what I said, Katniss. If you give me another chance, I swear I won't blow it. I will spend my whole life making it up to you. This will never happen again, you can count on that. You are it for me, Katniss. I could never love anyone else. Please think about it."

With that, he leaves. I let out the breath I hadn't realised I have been holding and slowly make my way over to my bedroom and collapse on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Before, I know it, tears start pooling in my eyes. With the amount of crying I have done since yesterday, I thought I would be out of tears by now but apparently not. I don't know why I'm crying now. Maybe it's the weight of his confession or the fact that he looked so miserable when he arrived. Despite everything, it still hurts me to see him hurting. Maybe it's the big hole in my chest where my heart is supposed to be or just the need to let my emotions out. I close my eyes and sob quietly into the pillow. The exhaustion of the day has worn me out and I let sleep overcome me and offer me a short respite from my problems and the reality.

 **Author's note- What did you think? Do you think that he has been tortured enough or does he deserve more? I personally think we should torment him a little more, introduce a new character and have him be interested in *cough* Katniss *cough* ;) Don't worry this is going to be an everlark fic, but I'm gonna have a little bit of fun before they eventually end up together :) Please please please leave reviews, I would love to know what you guys think. More reviews would mean more frequent updates so please please pretty please *puppy face*? I will try to post chapter 5 sometime next week, maybe over the weekend but who knows? If I get some reviews, I might get inspired to finish it and update it sooner for you guys. Please let me know what you think! Until next time :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note- Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I know I was supposed to post it a lot earlier but something just came up and I'm being really busy with school and studies. I hope this chapter makes up for the delay.**

 **I do not own the Hunger Games series.**

 **Chapter 5 Hot Date**

"He what?!", Johanna yells in outrage, making me remove the phone from my ear.

"Shut up, Jo. Let her finish", Madge says from the other line. That's right, I'm in a group conversation with Jo and Madge. I would have called Gale too but he is visiting Rory who is in town, staying with a friend for a day or two. I woke up a few hours ago but didn't feel like talking about it right away and thankfully, none of them bothered me by calling and demanding answers. They must have guessed that I would need some alone time to process everything. After leaving the comfort of the bed, I washed up and changed into pyjamas before heading to the kitchen. I decided to make lasagna for dinner to take my mind off things and it helped to some extent but knowing my friends, I knew they must be getting impatient. After dinner, I called them both at the same time so I wouldn't have to explain it twice. I have just finished telling them what Peeta told me about what happened the other night at the club.

"Actually, that's about it. It's pretty much his excuse for doing what he did", I still don't feel comfortable actually saying the word. It still hurts. "I took my frustration out on him. He begged me to take him back but I made it clear that isn't gonna happen. I told him I don't trust him anymore and asked him to leave. That's all."

There was silence on both the ends for a few seconds before I heard a sharp intake of breath followed by a frustrated sigh.

"You did the right thing, Kat. You held your ground. I'm proud of you", Jo says and I can hear the smile in her voice.

"But are you really sure about this, Katniss?", Madge sounds skeptical.

"I'm sure, Madge. Trust and love are the most important things in a relationship and while he still has my heart, I cannot say the same about trust. Even if I give him a second chance, I would be constantly doubting him. I wouldn't be able to give myself over to him completely. It wouldn't be fair to either of us. And besides, I'm still hurt and recovering from the reality of the situation which is that the love of my life cheated on me and even if he didn't mean to, cheating is still cheating", I tell her, realizing a second later that I've been rambling. I think I am trying to convince myself of that fact rather than her.

"Okay, sweetie. It's your life. Just don't shut out love altogether, okay? It's a beautiful thing to be in love and have someone by your side and I think you know that."

"You are right, I do know that. It's just that I don't think I will ever be able to move on from him and love someone else as much as I love him. And I really don't want to feel the way I'm feeling right now again. I really don't think I will ever be able to let someone else in", I explain, sighing.

"Just give it time, hon. I'm sure everything will work out like the way it should."

"I agree. Everything will be okay, Kat", Jo pipes in.

"I hope so, guys", I tell them then I remember something. "And I just want to say thank you so much. I don't know what I would do without you guys. I love you both, okay? And Gale too. Thank him for me and tell him I said that."  
"Oh sweetie, we love you too. You are basically our sister and we are always here for you. And you don't have to thank us, it's pretty much our job to make sure you are alright. That's what we are here for", Madge tells me sweetly.

"Yeah, Katniss. We would do anything for you. You can count on that. In fact, I would go kick that asshole's ass right now if you asked me to, more like if you allowed me to because I would love nothing more than to do just that. No one hurts my sister and gets away with it", Johanna says fiercely.

I can't help but smile at that. I silently thank God for my friends.

"Thank you guys but no thank you, Jo. He is already miserable, trust me. Did you see what he looked like when he got here? And his voice sounded so broken!"

"Oh my God, yes. He looked awful."

"I would say he deserves that and more."

"Don't say that, Jo. Maybe he does deserve that but I hate seeing him like that. I can tell that he still loves me but I had you guys to deal with the pain. He had no one to comfort him and help him through this. He is dealing with the pain of our break plus the guilt he is bearing for being the reason of it and for hurting me. I can't help but feel really bad for him even though he hurt me in the worst way", I tell them, trying hard to get rid of the mental picture of him looking so miserable.

Both of them just reply with "hmm" and Madge steers our conversation towards her younger brother, Vick, who is coming for a visit next week and how she wants us all to meet him. I'm thankful for the change in the topic. We talk a little more and end the call but not before making plans to meet up again soon.

The week drags on. I follow the same routine every day. Go to work, come back home, eat, sleep, repeat. Gale, Madge, and Johanna call frequently. They frequently ask me to go out with them but I always give them the same excuse, that I'm really tired. I think they see right through though they don't push me. The truth is that I just don't feel like doing anything anymore and that's bad, I know. It will have to change, eventually.

On Friday, Finnick introduces his girlfriend to me. Even though he is a big flirt, he is a really nice and caring person and one of my best friends at work. Annie is very sweet and we instantly click. We talk a lot and I feel very comfortable around her that when she asks if we could have lunch together on Saturday, I find myself agreeing.

At lunch, she tells me a bit about herself and I tell her about myself. It turns out that Annie knows Peeta. They went to high school together and she had a lot of classes with him. Apparently, he was very friendly and one of the most popular boys whom the whole female population of the school had a crush on. He was also the nicest and the most genuine guy. I don't know how but I find myself telling her about my love life or its recent lack thereof. She listens intently and to her credit, she doesn't look at me with pity but rather sympathy and understanding.

"Oh, Katniss, I'm so sorry. I never would have imagined that Peeta would do something like that. But he is a very nice person, Katniss and I'm sure he really does regret his actions and wants to make things right with you. So if you can put it behind you, it would be really nice if you two would work things out."

"I know, Annie. I still love him a lot but I'm not sure that I can just forget it. I'm still hurt and I just don't trust him anymore. If he ever did that to me again, I'm not sure I would survive. I know that sounds a bit dramatic but it feels that way."

I tell her and she nods, understandingly. Then thankfully, she changes the topic. After lunch and a promise to meet up soon along with a hug, we go about our own ways. I think I will ask Finnick and Annie to hang out with our group sometime. They would fit in perfectly.

Later that afternoon, Madge calls to tell me that Vick is here and she wants us all to meet him. We are going to be having dinner together at this restaurant she likes so much. I'm supposed to be there by 7. I spend the rest of the afternoon watching T.V and fall asleep on the sofa. When I wake up, it's a quarter to 6 already. I take a quick

shower and look through my closet as I have no idea what to wear. I finally decide on a pair of black skinny jeans and a cute light blue top. I pull some of my hair back with a clip and leave the rest to hang loose. After putting on a little bit of makeup, just a little foundation, eyeliner and lipstick, I grab my car keys and head outside. I don't want to be late so I speed up a bit and finally manage to make it by 5 minutes to 7. The hostess directs me to our table and the first thing I notice is a very cute guy with blonde hair and piercing green eyes. Oh, that's Vick. He looks a lot like Madge except that his eyes are green rather than blue. As soon as he sees me walk towards the table, his face lights up and his lips curl up into a beautiful smile and like the idiot I am, I freaking blush which seems to amuse him. When I reach there, Madge gives me a hug and introduces me to Vick.

"And this is Katniss. Katniss, this is my baby brother, Vick", she says. Vick's grin widens and he eyes me up and down which doesn't go unnoticed by my friends.

"It's nice to meet you, Vick", I say with a smile, extending my hand for a shake.

"It's nice to meet you too, Katniss. And I'm not Madge's 'baby brother', I'm only a year younger than her", he says before taking my hand and kissing the back of it instead of shaking it like I had expected him to. And you are right, I blush, AGAIN! That's my problem, I blush a lot. All my life, I have tried to control my blushing but so far, all my efforts have been futile. Peeta used to love that about me…. _oh no, don't go there, Everdeen_.

Vick smiles again, this time a little shyly. I smile back, he is so cute! _Shut up, Katniss. That's your best friend's younger brother._ I expect Madge to go into full big sister mode when she sees our exchange and how his eyes linger on me a little longer than necessary but to my surprise, she smirks at us knowingly and so do Gale and Jo. After each of them gives me a hug, I sit down in the only empty seat which just so happens to be the one next to Vick. If I didn't know any better, I would think that I'm being set up. He pulls out my chair and helps me in and I smile at him gratefully which earns me a quick grin from him.

All evening, he makes conversation with me and stares at my face when he thinks I'm not looking, a LOT. Surprisingly, I find that it doesn't make me feel uncomfortable but rather giddy and I have to keep reminding myself that he is my best friend's brother. I find out a lot about him. He is studying to become a mechanical engineer and he is going to graduate soon. He loves working on cars and stuff. I tell him some things about myself too like the fact that I'm a journalist and that I love reading books. I also admit to him that I love Harry Potter and he tells me that he does too. He also flirts with me a lot. Though I roll my eyes at his obvious flirting, inwardly I'm thrilled. Don't get me wrong, I still love Peeta and I'm so not over him but Vick is just…refreshing and very easy to talk to.

After we have paid the cheque, we head out of the restaurant and Vick turns to me.

"So, Beautiful, wanna go out with me tomorrow?", he asks me, cocking an eyebrow. That doesn't sound too bad but I'm still in love with Peeta and not ready to date other people. And besides, he is Madge's younger brother!

"I don't think it's a good idea, Vick", I tell him honestly.

"Aw, come on, Beautiful, don't say that. Please just go out with me once. One date and I'll stop bugging you. Please please pretty please?", he asks looking at me with sad puppy dog eyes. And my resolve wanes. It's so hard to refuse him anything when he is looking at me like that.

"Okay, one date."

He looks so happy when I agree that I think it's worth it. I give him my address and he tells me that he will pick me up tomorrow at 6. He refuses to tell me where we are going, though. Oh well, I'll find out tomorrow. I don't really like surprises but somehow I know that this one would be pleasant.

I can't help but wonder what Peeta's doing. Is he moving on? Is he still miserable? He hasn't called or texted me once since we had the talk last weekend. I can't help but feel a little hurt that he has given up on me that easily and isn't fighting anymore. _Isn't that what you wanted, Katniss? For him to just leave you alone?_ I thought I did. No! I still do. This is what I want. This is for the best.

4:30 rolls around and here I am looking through my closet, trying to find a suitable outfit. Should I just stick with jeans and a cute top? Would it be too fancy to wear a dress? I think of calling Madge or Johanna to ask for outfit help like I usually do but then I remember that this date is with Madge's brother. Yesterday, Madge and Jo had looked so smug after I had agreed to go out with Vick, I can't help but think that they had already known this would happen.

I don't think he is taking me to a fancy restaurant or something, so I don't have to wear some uncomfortable dress with death traps called heels. This isn't even a real date. _Or is it?_ No! I decide on a simple navy blue shift dress and pair it with my comfortable ballet flats. It's not going to look like I'm trying too hard or not trying at all. I keep my makeup simple as usual, just some eyeliner and light lipstick. I decide to leave my hair loose, curled at the bottom. I give myself a onceover and sit down in the living room to wait as it's only 5:30. I scroll through my phone as I wait and reply to some work related e-mails. 20 minutes later, the doorbell rings and I grab my purse before answering the door. Vick is leaning against the door looking really good. He smiles when he sees me and his eyes rake over my body appreciatively.

"Katniss, you look beautiful", he tells me in his sexy voice. And you are right, I blush. _Stop it, Everdeen. He is Madge's YOUNGER brother, for heaven's sake!_ Yeah, but he is only a year younger. That's not much right?

"Thanks, Vick. You look good too." And he does. He is wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black button-up. His hair has the messy, tousled look which makes him look even more handsome.

He leads me to his car- wait, Madge's car- and opens my door for me. That's really sweet of him. Peeta used to do that too. Oh god, why can't I get him out of my head? I really need to stop thinking about him.

On the way, he tells me that we are going to the movies. He has already booked us tickets. We get popcorns and drinks and go inside the theatre to find our seats. The movie is kinda sad and I would have cried watching it had I watched it alone but with Vick, oh God, I haven't been able to fully stop laughing ever since the movie started. He is just so funny and with his continuous stream of sarcastic comments and jokes about the characters and during each scene, I just can't help but laugh. By the time the movie ends, there are tears in my eyes from laughing so much and everyone stares at us like we are crazy. It was a very emotional and moving movie. I literally can't remember when was the last time I laughed this much.

We decide to have dinner at a local pizzeria and talk a lot while we eat, trading simple facts about each other. Favourite colour, favourite artist, favourite movie, favourite band and the list just goes on and on. I find that I like Vick. He is goofy and flirtatious on the outside but a really sweet, genuine, and caring person on the inside. A lot like Finnick. After we eat, he takes me to a park for a stroll as he doesn't want to drop me home so soon and I admit to him that I don't wanna go either. We just walk around the park, enjoying the weather. A light breeze is blowing, the moon is out, couples are walking, holding hands, people are walking their dogs, parents are pushing baby strollers or playing with their kids, it truly is a beautiful evening. Sometime during our walk, Vick takes my hand and I don't mind at all. We sit down on a bench for a bit and he turns to look at me, his expression serious for once.

"Katniss, I like you a lot. And I know that you just got out of a very serious relationship and your previous boyfriend hurt you very much. I know you are not ready to date right now but I had to tell you that I like you. I would really like to be your friend if you will let me and someday, maybe we can be more, who knows?", he tells me looking at me earnestly, still holding my hand. I give his hand a gentle squeeze and smile at him.

"I would love for you to be my friend, Vick. And thank you so much for this evening. I enjoyed a lot and I really needed that. We should totally do this again sometime, maybe the next time you visit", I suggest and his answering smile could light up the city. I don't know what comes over me but I suddenly throw my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. He doesn't hesitate at all before wrapping his own arms around my waist and hugging me just as tight. I close my eyes and revel in his warmth while he rubs his hands up and down my back, in a comforting gesture. When I open them, I wish I never had because standing at a distance away from us is none other than, you guessed it right, the love of my life.

Peeta.

He still looks miserable and the light that was always there in his eyes is gone. He looks really hurt when he sees me and it looks like he is going to cry. My eyes widen and I want to pull back from the hug immediately and walk over to Peeta and explain to him that there's nothing going on between Vick and me. I want to hug him to me tightly and hold him until he feels perfectly fine. I want to kiss him and show him how much I still love him. But I don't. Because I can't. Because I shouldn't. Peeta turns around and storms off.

Vick notices that I have stiffened and pulls back to ask me if I am okay. I nod and give him the best smile I can muster and that relaxes him. We talk for a little more and exchange numbers. When he drops me off at my place, he gives me a sweet, shy smile devoid of any cockiness and kisses my cheek and tells me that he will keep in touch with me and asks me to do the same. I assure him that I would love nothing more. He gives me another shy smile before telling me to have a good night and driving off.

I walk in to my apartment in a daze, really happy to have made a new friend who seems to care a lot about me. It was a really great evening. I had a lot of fun. The only thing that put a damper on my mood was seeing Peeta in so much pain. I just hope everything will be okay, he will be okay.

 **Peeta's POV**

My already broken heart shattered further into a million pieces when I saw the girl I love, in the arms of someone else. I haven't been able to function ever since she walked away from me. I can't believe I did that to her. I had it all. I had the most beautiful, amazing woman and I drove her away through my foolish, drunken actions. I had decided to take a walk this evening to clear my head. And I saw her, sitting on the park bench with a guy and suddenly, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. Like the way she used to hug me. Her eyes widened when she noticed me and she paled. That was it, I was on the verge of tears again and I stormed away before she could see them fall.

I know I hurt her in the worst possible way but I can't live without her. Being away from her pains me, both physically and emotionally. It has been very hard to drag myself out of bed during mornings knowing that I wouldn't get to see her beautiful face later. How could I be so stupid, so idiotic?

I know she still loves me. I can see it in her eyes. Even when we were together, I could always feel her love. It's just that she is afraid to trust me again. I will show her that she can trust me. I will get her back. I can't live without her. It may sound dramatic but I honestly have no idea how I was surviving before I met her. I need her in my life and I will do everything in my power to win her back. I will make everything up to her for the rest of my life. I will show her that the guy she was with tonight will never feel as much for her as I already do. And neither will any other man in the world. I will get her back, even if it takes me years, even if it's the last thing I do. Because a life without her isn't a life worth living. She will be mine again.

 **Author's note- So there you have it, the fifth chapter. What do you think of Vick? Would you like to see more of him? And I know in the books, Vick is Gale's brother but in my story, he is Madge's brother. I hope that doesn't bother anyone. And did you like Peeta's point of view? Should I write more from his POV? What do you think he should do to win his girl back? Let me know through reviews or you can even PM me your suggestions. What do you think will happen next? What should happen next? What would you like to see? Please please let me know. And the last time, I only got 2 or 3 reviews, this time I want a lot more. It would be like a new year's gift to me because I really love reading your reviews, they make my day. So please please leave reviews even if you just want to say 'hi', lol, I'm serious. :D So please review and I'll see you all soon with the next chapter. And wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Author's note- I'm really sorry for the delay but I have been really busy with school work and finals and just couldn't make time for writing. But now that the summer vacations have started, I should be able to focus more on writing so yay! :) But the updates are not going to be very frequent because I'm officially in 12** **th** **grade now and need to work hard this year and I'm gonna be really busy but I promise I won't leave you guys hanging by abandoning this story, that is if you haven't already given up on it. I really hope you haven't because I will complete this story sometime this year. Updates may not be very frequent but they won't be few and far between either. Don't worry people, I will finish this story and give Katniss and Peeta the HEA they deserve. :) Sorry for the long ass author's note but I felt like I needed to explain my reason for being MIA for so long. :)**

 **I do not own the Hunger Games.**

 **On with the story…..**

"So, how was your hot date with my little brother?", Madge asks wagging her eyebrows, a cheeky smile tugging at her lips.

It's Monday afternoon and Madge, Johanna, Annie and I have met up for lunch at a restaurant near my workplace. When Madge asked me and Jo to get lunch with her, I also invited Annie and I'm happy to see that she is getting along well with them both. As soon as we placed our orders, the questioning began.

Annie raises her eyebrows at me. "You went on a date with Madge's brother?", she asks, surprised. I'm sure she is remembering our talk when I told her how hurt I was and then I went ahead and actually went on a date with a guy the very next day. Yeah, I can't believe it either.

"It wasn't a date. I mean not really. It was like a friendly, fun date not a 'hot date' as Madge so eloquently put it", I tell her making air quotations while leveling Madge with a pointed look. And then I remember something.

"Hey, was this all a set up? I mean was it your plan all along to get me to meet Vick and then for him to ask me out because it sure felt like it." And then a horrifying thought struck me. "Oh my god, was Vick doing you a favor by taking me out? Did you ask him to do it because you were tired of me being stuck at home all day?", I ask Madge, flabbergasted. I'm not going to be able to handle it if it were only a pity date.

Madge is quick to reassure me. "Katniss, no. I mean, yes I knew all along that he would ask you out but he wasn't doing it because I asked him to. He wanted to, Katniss. You may have only recently met him but he has seen pictures of you on my phone and ever since then he had been dying to meet you. He thinks you are really beautiful, trust me I know. He was really excited on Friday when I told him you were coming and then after he got back from your date, you should have seen him. He was grinning like a fool and gushing about how amazing and perfect you are and how he wishes you would just give him a chance. But he understands your situation. I didn't give him too many details about your situation just briefed him on it. I hope you don't mind but I just thought he should know since you agreed to go out with him and all."

I breathe a sigh of relief when I realize she is telling the truth. I smile at her and tell her it's fine. I can't help but feel a bit thrilled at the fact that Vick seems to be really into me. I guess what I really needed was to feel wanted for once. And the way his eyes lingered on me longer than necessary and the subtle way they roamed over my body made me feel just that. I actually felt beautiful and desirable after a long time. I also just realized how much of an impact Peeta's betrayal had had on my self-worth.

I notice Johanna frowning at me and as I open my mouth to ask her what's wrong, she beats me to it.

"Katniss, I didn't know how low your self-esteem was. Why wouldn't a guy like Vick want to go out with you? You are beautiful, intelligent, kind and the sweetest person we know. You can literally get any guy you want. Is it because of Peeta that you don't feel any sense of self-worth? Because if it is then I'm gonna shove my foot so far up his ass-"

Thankfully the arrival of our food interrupts her before she can finish her sentence and I breathe a sigh of relief. Although, I'm touched by what she said about me, I don't want to hear her insult Peeta because the truth is, he always made me feel special. He would look at me like I'm the most beautiful thing in his world and always treated me like a princess. It's his recent actions that have made me start doubting myself. I know I shouldn't feel like this. I have a lot going for me. I'm not horribly disfigured but rather decent looking. I graduated with a good GPA and have a well paying job that I enjoy and that too within only a year of graduating. I live in my own apartment (which my parents helped pay for), pay my own bills and I'm only twenty three years old. So there's that.

After our lunch arrives, we move on to lighter topics and talk and laugh like we usually do. The day goes by quickly and to my surprise, I'm able to put Peeta out of my mind long enough to concentrate on the article I'm working on. Before I know it, it's time to leave.

When I get home, I'm surprised to find a nervous-looking Peeta standing outside my door. He has his hands shoved inside his pockets and eyes trained downward which flick up to my face when he senses my arrival. I have to admit, he looks much better than he did the last time I saw him which was two days ago. He is clean shaven with only a hint of stubble, his eyes aren't red rimmed or have dark circles. I'm glad to see that he has been sleeping properly. He is wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt which clings to his body nicely. Oh, how I wish I could remove it and run my hands all over his well-defined torso. _Damn it, Everdeen. Stop thinking about him that way. He hurt you, remember that, he HURT you._ Hey, I can appreciate a fine specimen of male species, right? _Not when it's your cheating ex._ Great, I'm talking to my subconscious now. If I thought I was going crazy earlier, I'm now sure that I have started my descent into madness. Just like Sheldon Cooper in that episode of The Big Band Theory. _You are seriously thinking about a TV show right now, Everdeen, when your ex-boyfriend whom you are still very much in love with is standing before you holding a lily! Wow, there seriously is something wrong with you._ Right, focus on Peeta. God, my subconscious is on a roll today. She is right, though. And hey, he really is holding a lily which happens to be my favorite flower. That's so sweet of him.

"Peeta, what are you doing here?", I gently ask him because seriously, how come is he here now? The last time he saw me, he stormed off and today he is standing at my door.

He smiles shyly. "Hi, Katniss. This is for you." He holds out the lily to me. I can't help but smile back as I take it from his hand and murmur a shy 'thank you' to him. As our hands touch, a jolt of electric shock goes through me and by the look in his eyes, I'm sure he felt it too. He shakes his head and clears his throat.

"So, I was hoping we could go have dinner together and I don't know, talk?"

He frames it as a question and I know he is giving me a choice here. I hesitate for a moment, not really sure what to do. Truth be told, I have missed him a lot and would love nothing more than to take him up on it. But should I do it? Should I just throw caution to the wind this once and go out with him? What harm could it do? He is wearing casual clothes so I know it's not a date and that he doesn't want to pressurize me. We are just going as friends, if you could even call us that. Seriously, though. What are we? What is the status of our relationship? I'll think about that later because right now I'm supposed to answer his question. What do I do? _You know you want to, Everdeen._ Oh what the hell, of course I do.

"Sure we can", I tell him with a smile causing his eyes to light up and his mouth to break out into a breathtaking smile that has me weak in my knees. I take a deep breath to regain my composure and unlock the door, stepping inside before gesturing for him to step in as well.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'm just going to take a shower and change, and then we can go", I tell him as I lead him inside.

"Of course, Katniss. Take your time."

As soon as I rush to the bathroom and lock the door, I let out the breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Looking into the mirror, I can see that my face is flushed. God, is that how I looked in front of Peeta? Banishing away that thought, I hop into the shower and let the warm water relax me. I don't take too long in the shower, though and as soon as I'm done washing myself, I wrap a towel around my body and walk into my room to rummage through the closet in search of something appropriate to wear. Peeta is wearing casual clothes but who am I kidding? He looks handsome no matter what he wears. But I decide to go casual too. I put on my favorite jeans and a red tank top, pairing it with my most comfortable pair of ballet flats. I deem myself ready after putting on a bit of makeup and putting my hair up into a ponytail.

I find Peeta patiently waiting for me in the living room when I walk in. He smiles at me when he sees me.

"You look beautiful", he tells me, earnestly causing me to blush. Seriously, how does this guy always manage to make me blush?

"Thank you. You look very nice, as well", I tell him shyly.

He smiles at me as he thanks me and asks if I'm ready to go. I grab my purse from the coffee table where I had put it and nod. We decide on a diner near my place and since it's nice outside, we decide to walk there. We walk in silence and surprisingly, it's comfortable. Neither of us feels the need to fill it with unnecessary small talk and it's almost like the old times, except for the fact that he would always hold my hand while walking. That simple gesture meant a lot to me and I find myself really missing that. I wonder if he is thinking about those times too. I chance a glance at him and see that he is deep in thought. Hmm, maybe he is. Suddenly, my fingers are itching to intertwine with his and I just have this uncontrollable urge to reach out and grab his hand. I know I shouldn't but I can't help it. It's not right. But I finally decide that propriety be damned and just grab his hand, lacing our fingers together without looking up at him. This seems to jerk him out of whatever he was thinking and his eyes flick, first, to our joined hands and then to my face as if searching for something. I avoid eye contact because even I don't know what came over me but the warmth of his hand feels good against mine and I don't want to let go. It seems like he has found whatever he was looking for when he grasps my hand tighter in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze as if telling me it's completely fine and that I have nothing to be embarrassed about.

We walk in silence for a few minutes, with him rubbing the back of my hand with the pad of his thumb. I surreptitiously chance a glance at him only to find him already staring at me causing me to blush, making him smile and look away. Soon, we reach our destination and choose a corner booth. He doesn't let go of my hand until we are seated. After we place our orders, I decide to break the silence.

"So, how have you been, Peeta?" I immediately cringe after posing the question knowing how stupid I sound. _How do you think he is, you idiot? He has been miserable, and so have you for that matter._ Okay okay, I get it, no need to be so cranky. Oh god, there I go again. I'm glad Peeta is no Edward Cullen, that vampire from Twilight who can read minds, otherwise he would know what exactly goes through my head and would probably never talk to me again because he would know I'm batshit crazy.

Peeta takes a deep breath before answering. "I think you know. I miss you, Katniss. I have missed you a lot these past few weeks", he says, gazing deep into my eyes. I wonder if he can see into my soul.

"I miss you too, Peeta", I tell him because there is nothing else to say to that and also because it's true.

"Look, Katniss, I'm not going to dance around the issue. I would like to talk about Saturday evening, I", he pauses to take another deep breath but I don't let him continue.

"Peeta, what you saw that day, it wasn't what it looked like. That guy I was with is Madge's younger brother, Vick, and he pleaded a lot with me to go out with him just once. I only agreed because I knew he wouldn't relent. It was just a friendly date not a romantic one. I'm not moving on or anything, if you think that's what that was. He is just a very good friend." I say it all in one breath. I don't know why I even feel the need to explain it to him, it's not like it's any of his business. But despite what he did to me, I don't want this beautiful man to hurt because of me and maybe, admitting to him that I wasn't on a date would help alleviate some of the hurt.

I looked up into his piercing blue eyes and saw relief and a bit of joy dancing in them. He gave me a brilliant smile and continued.

"Thank you, Katniss. You didn't owe me an explanation but I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that." He takes one of my hands in his and sweetly kisses my palm. "I wanted to tell you that even if you were moving on with him, I would fight for you. I'm not giving up on you, Katniss, ever. I'm going to do everything in my power to win you back, your love and trust back. Seeing you with him has just made me more determined. I can't let anyone else snatch you away from me. You mean the world to me. You know, I don't even look at other women anymore. I can't lose you, Katniss. I won't lose you." He says, determinedly.

All I can do is stare at him, wide eyed.

"Peeta…"

"I'm going to get you back, Katniss. I'm going to show you how much you mean to me and remind you of all the things that made you fall for me. And then when I have you again, I'm going to make you so happy and worship you for the rest of my life, I promise you that. I'll always be faithful to you and never make that kind of mistake again. Hell, I would stop drinking altogether if you asked me to. Just, please, Katniss. Please let me try and win you back. Give me a chance and if you still feel like you can't forgive me, I won't bother you again. Will you at least let me try?", he asks and the intensity in his voice and eyes startles me.

Tears pool in my eyes at his heartfelt declaration but I refuse to let them fall. How can I deny him this, especially when I know that there will be no one else for me but him? I'm pretty sure that I will never be able to love anyone else as much as I love him. I force back the tears that are threatening to fall and nod, looking up into his eyes.

"Yes." Am I giving in too easily? Probably but I don't care anymore, I love him too much.

"Thank you, Katniss. You won't regret it, I promise." He grins at me and kisses my hand, again. I hope he is right.

The rest of the evening passes by fairly quickly. We fall into an easy conversation about what we have been up to and update each other on our lives. He tells me his childhood best friend, Delly, is getting married in a couple of months and I'm really happy for her. I have met Delly before, she is seriously one of the nicest, friendliest people, I know and I hope her husband treats her well. I talk to him about the article I'm working on and he gives me his insight on the subject. It feels natural to talk to him about everything and I find myself really wishing that we can work this out.

After dinner, he insists on paying since he was the one who asked me out but I know it's just an excuse. This guy never lets me pay for anything. We exit the diner and walk back, this time he is the one who takes hold of my hand and I let him. He walks me to my door and leaves me with a shy smile and a quick hug, which to my surprise, is followed by a gentle kiss to the top of my head. But, hey, I'm not complaining. I love feeling his lips on any part of my body.

I walk in with a stupid, giddy smile on my face. I actually feel happy after a long time. I brush my teeth and clean up in a daze and change into some shorts and a tank top. I decide to call it a night early and by the time I'm in the bed, under the covers, the smile still hasn't left my face. I really hope everything will work out, it has to.

 **So there it was, chapter 6. Please please let me know in the reviews what you think. Is Katniss being too forgiving? How do you think Peeta is going to woo her back? What do you think he should do? Please let me know. I have said it so many times but I love love reading your reviews. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me as well if you want. Review, guys and I'll be back soon. Until next time. :)**


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